THUNDER BAY – The region’s two biggest school boards have finalized graduation ceremony plans for 2021.
Lakehead Public Schools will offer a hybrid model, offering graduates a chance to walk across the stage with their parents in attendance inside the board’s three high schools, or a drive-by option in which teachers from each school will visit the homes of remote-learning students who opt out of the in-school ceremony.
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board plans to build on last year’s successful drive-through graduation at both St. Patrick and St. Ignatius high schools, working within public health recommendations and guidelines to ensure a safe and memorable send-off.
Ryan McDonnell, principal at Superior Collegiate Vocational Institute, on Tuesday said graduation is a watershed moment in a teenager’s life, something they and their families look forward to as the culmination of their time in high school.
As much as possible, despite the challenges that continue to be presented by COVID-19, which have kept students learning from home in Thunder Bay since February, educators wanted to normalize the rite of passage.
“We’re really committing to make it a special experience for kids. We have a couple of things planned. The big thing is a drive-up ceremony that will happen at each of our three high schools,” MacDonnell said.
“Students will be given a time slot. They’ll be invited in with their family members. The health unit will let us know how many can come in. They’ll have their cap and gown, they’ll cross the stage and they’ll get their diploma and awards.”
Families will be permitted to take photographs during a five-minute ceremony window, and then all will exit through a designated side door and the next family will be invited in.
The drive-by, front-lawn ceremony will be much like last year’s, with teachers and staff driving to the homes of students who choose that option to present cap and gowns to graduates.
Students attending Catholic board high schools will take part ceremonies that are similar to last year’s, though potentially expanded to allow walk-ups rather than drive-through visits outside the two schools.
Frank Ruberto, vice-principal at St. Patrick High School, said they’re doing their best to give students the send-off they deserve.
“We’re going to try to build on our success from last year. We felt we put forth a really fun product, something that was unique and we got positive feedback from parents and students. We’re going to customize it to our graduates this year, so it’s not going to be the same, but it will be a fun experience,” Ruberto said.
“The front of our building is a beautiful façade for this day, so hopefully, weather permitting, we can do everything outside. We have a back-up plan inside in case that does not work.”
Ruberto said they will likely be able to increase the time students are in the spotlight, noting there was time left over in 2020 at the end of the day, and as a result might be able to slow down the pace a bit to make things a little less frantic on graduation day.
Graduation at the public board schools will take place between June 14 and June 18. Graduation at the Catholic Board will take place on June 16 for St. Patrick grads and June 15 for St. Ignatius grads.
Ecole secondaire catholique de La Verendrye is holding its graduation on June 10.
"We are doing a drive-through/parade kind of graduation this year. There will be Francophone music and teachers with banners around the school perimeter waiting and guiding the decorated cars toward our parking lot where a stage with banner/balloons will be set up and I’ll be giving each student a diploma and time for a picture. They’ll be wearing their caps and gowns," said principal Marie-France Tousignant.
